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How-to: Sushi-Inspired Day Bed

Last May, my fiance and I decided to get rid of our crappy couch and replace it with my old daybed that was sitting unused in the basement. After recycling our old couch in to dog beds and pillow forms, we had space for a twin-sized bed in our living room. The problem? It looked a lot like a regular bed. The solution? An old full-sized bedspread, a few more pillow forms, and a lot of pillowcases.

We had my fiance’s old bedspread and the cushions from the old couch. Luckily, JoAnn Fabrics had these ready-to-go pillow forms on sale the day I went to go couchbed supply hunting.

The Pattern

I used the same pattern for the comforter’s duvet cover as I did for the square pillow forms. It’s the easiest pattern to follow. No closures are needed at all, which is a relief if you’re a novice sewer (one who sews, not a sewage funneler).

The biggest struggle I had with this project was MacGyvering the covers for the armrests together. The cushions from the old couch were really odd and NOT square. They were kind of rectangular, tubey, and deformed from being sat on for 30 years. (Seriously, the old couch was my mom’s first furniture purchase ever. Circa 1977.) I really don’t know how to replicate the pattern, but I can say that a lot of trial and error was involved.

Sushi Inspiration

The square pillows were inspired by seaweed-wrapped sushi, and the rectangular armrests were inspired by sashimi. Like these from calgaryreviews and puck777 on Flickr.

The finished product is great, especially now that it’s winter and I can cuddle up in a bed with my dogs to watch TV or work on some projects. The extra-great thing about the couchbed is that I can wash and mend everything easily, which is wonderful when you’ve got two dogs!

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a knitting, crochet and crafts designer. She first learned to knit at age 8 from a grandmother who saw in her a need for something to keep her busy. She's now a full time designer, video host, blogger & teacher. You can keep up with her designs and more by following handsoccupied on your favorite social network.

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Hi! I’m Heidi Gustad, and I’m a yarn crafts designer and blogger, partial to primary colors, vintage style and most needlecrafts. Along with two designer friends, I co-host The Very Serious Crafts Podcast. My first book is set to be released in the fall of 2020.